Week 1 of David Woods' murder trial ends with video

Dorothy Woods leaving a bar the last night she was seen alive. (Saskatoon Police)

A Saskatoon courtroom fell silent this morning as all eyes turned to the ceiling monitors.

The video playing showed murder victim Dorothy Woods on the last night she was seen alive.

Her husband, David Woods, is on trial charged with first degree murder.

David Woods (CBC)

The first video showed Woods entering and then leaving the Sobeys grocery store on 8th Street and Cumberland Avenue. Various stills showed her shopping inside the store around suppertime on November 11, 2011.

The second video captured her inside the Greek House lounge on 33rd Street, a few hours later.

The Crown continued to call witnesses and evidence as the first week of the trial wrapped up.

Jurors heard from Sgt. Don Buratenski about how police searching the Woods' home found Dorothy's driver's licence and hospitalization card in a purse in a cupboard in the garage. They also found $1,000 cash and her Mastercard and Visa cards in a locked toolbox in the garage.

But, police who did a forensic search of 19 Riel Crescent discovered no blood — or signs of cleaning — when they came hunting for evidence of a crime scene.

On January 4, 2012, her frozen body was discovered wrapped in plastic in a culvert near Blackstrap Lake.

David is charged with first-degree murder.

No blood or bleach

For the past two days, prosecutor Michael Segu has drawn testimony from Sgt. David Hudson. Retired now, at the time he led the police investigation in Dorothy's disappearance.

Hudson laid out how circumstantial evidence pushed David from a witness to suspect in the eyes of police. By his own admission, David said his marriage was on shaky ground and both Crown and defense argued there were infidelities on both sides.

During the investigation, police were authorized to place a tracking device on David's truck.

One of the key breaks in the case came in early January, 2012.

On January 2, RCMP issued a release that unidentified female human remains had been discovered outside the city. It was widely reported in local media. Later that same day, the tracking device on David's truck showed that it travelled south of the city.

'It was very unusual.'- Sgt. David Hudson

On January 4, police searched the area around Blackstrap Lake.

Within 15 minutes, they had found the body of Dorothy, in a culvert that ran under an old highway.

Rope, plastic and a hacksaw

Under cross-examination by defense lawyer Michael Nolin, Hudson said there was no forensic testing done of the rope found wrapped around Dorothy's neck to establish whether it was the same rope discovered in the family garage.

Hudson also noted that David never refused police permission to search his home and co-operated with the investigation.

The trial continues today. Next week, jurors will be taken to the location at Blackstrap where police discovered Dorothy's body.